Lingering Lunch at Shiro with GourmetItUp experience

Mid week blues hit me and I wanted some change in my routine. Shiro was at my rescue service. I was invited by GourmetItUp for a review of the Lingering lunches at Shiro. I have been to Shiro many times and I knew my afternoon is going to be good with Chef Priyank taking care of the menu.

A little bit about GourmetItUp, it creates and curates customized food experiences. They are in their third year currently and have a strong hold in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune, entering the Bangalore market. They help in creating unique and exclusive dining experiences for its members, from off-menu meals to tasting experiences.

You must be wondering on how GourmetItUp works? Here is the answer: Diners register at GourmetItUp.com and browse through an extensive set of exclusive dining experiences. Diners can make a reservation at the click of a button and payments are made directly at the restaurant. Each experience clearly displays the menu, pricing and table availability and the GourmetItUp concierge can be easily reached via a call or live chat to answer any questions about an experience or to suggest experiences that best fit the occasion. 

I starter my meal with a refreshing mocktail names Orange and min virgin mojito. This is also Chef Priyank's favorite and has been on my order every time. It is refreshing and pairs my food well. During my meal I also had a mocktail with watermelon and soda.

The lingering lunches have 2 options for unlimited food apart from ala carte service. One can choose from Unlimited dim sums special and Unlimited Sushi and Maki special, both priced at Rs.850 plus charges and taxes. 

I started with the assorted veg dim sum platter which had Zucchini and coriander dumpling, spinach and corn dumpling, celery and pepper mushroom dumpling and chi chow dumpling. Can you believe that I enjoyed all the veg dim sums? I was very amazed with the taste and authenticity of the dim sums that I loved every bite. Without any dip, I enjoyed all, you can try with soya sauce or chilli paste which is served with it. Even I find it hard to believe that I enjoyed a veg platter more ;)

Next came the assorted non veg dim sum platter which had Celery and prawn dumpling, sui mai, hargau and chicken gyoza along with steamed chicken and shitake mushroom. I personally did not like marinated steamed chicken and shitake mushroom much. But the dumplings were amazing. As a prawn person, I loved hargau which had marinated prawns and steamed inside a translucent wrapper. While Sui mai had minced chicken and prawns and shitake mushroom steamed in a wonton wrapper. Given any weekday, I would prefer a dim sum special and have unlimited dims sums which floored my taste buds.

Steamed chicken and shitake mushroom

Next was Sushi and Maki Special. Starting with Veg sushi, I tried the cucumber, asparagus and shitake mushroom. I enjoyed the cucumber and asparagus sushi more than shitake mushroom. In non veg, I tried the red snapper sushi. I do not have taste buds for non veg sushi so I was hesitant to try tuna, spicy tuna mayo and salmon sushi.

Veg Maki and Veg Sushi (Left to right)

Non veg Sushi

Then came Maki. I have had Maki many times earlier but nothing tasted as good as Shiro. In veg, Crispy spicy avocado, vegetarian spicy California and Kappa maki was served which tasted exceptionally well. In non veg, california maki, tuna maki, prawn maki, new york maki, spicy chicken with shitake maki was served. I have developed a strong taste for Maki. I never knew they could be tasty especially when Chef Priyank has got his innovations too.

Non veg Maki

Ended my meal by having a cup of green tea which was very refreshing. I rarely have enjoy a good cup of green tea but Shiro did a fabulous job in bringing this lunch together. 

I had an amazing lunch taking my mid week blues out and raring to enjoy the weekend.

You can check the menu below for lingering lunch (ignore the spelling error in my name)

Sangria Sundowner at Shiro

I have been to Shiro a couple of times and if you have been reading my blog then you would have read about my review during the Times city gourmet week 2014. This time I was invited to be part of Sangria Sundowner which included Sangria masterclass, Sangria tasting, Sangria recipes and food pairing. With Sangria Sundowner, people can have relax after their work with a couple of drinks and appetizer before they head towards dinner. It could best enjoyed with friend's for an evening chat or a casual business meet. The Sangria Sundowner menu is available between 4PM-8PM.

Shiro gives you a perfect reason and season to unwind in the relaxing rays of the setting sun with Sangria Sundowners. With its incredible Zen inspired ambiance, brilliant Pan-Asian spread and soothing music, Shiro offers patrons an endless flow of White and Red wine Sangrias. Sangria Sundowner is perfect for all those looking for a relaxed evening without sparing an ounce of luxury. There certainly cannot be a better way to end the day.

The evening began with Sangria masterclass where Wayne (Bartender) demonstrated on making Red Sangria and White Sangria. The first Sangria which he made was Red Sangria. He started by adding loads of ice in glass, followed by 20 to 30 ml of peach, green apple and passion fruit syrup's (One can replace these with fresh fruit juice or seasonal mashed fruits), 15-30 ml of White Rum (You can use dark rum or brandy as per your taste), Cinnamon powder to give it a distinct taste, some orange juice and red wine. This was stirred well and the same was filtered into a wine glass. Fresh fruits like red apples and oranges with peel were finely chopped and added to the glass. The drink was a little sweeter due to the syrup's but the hint of cinnamon gave it a distinct. People on the table preferred a stronger sangria over the sweet one.

Syrup's added

Red wine is added

Poured into the wine glass

Chopped fruits being added 

The White Sangria was also prepared in the same manner but with a few changes. The preparation is same till the addition of white rum, some apple juice was added instead of the orange juice to maintain the color followed by the white wine. Green apple and oranges with peel were added in the end.

You can make a Sangria in ten minutes and store it for up to three days. If the sangria is preserved for longer, it gives a better taste. Also, any fruits or syrup's could be used to make a sangria. In the

masterclass, The Two headed Bird 2013 wine by Myra was used. As I do not consume alcohol, I did learn how to make a Virgin Sangria which I enjoyed during my evening. 

After Sangria tasting, we moved on to food pairing with Sangria. A combination platter vegetarian and non-vegetarian was served. The veg platter had Vietnamese vegetable spring roll, Mushroom & baby corn in Thai barbecue sauce, Korean chilli potatoes and chi chow dumpling. I personally loved the Korean chilli potatoes which were spicy but had a hint of sweetness too. Chi chow dumpling with the dip were tasty and the Vietnamese spring roll paired well with Sangria too. While I do not enjoy mushroom's, other people on the table enjoyed Spicy mushrooms from the ala carte menu.

The non veg platter had Vietnamese chicken spring roll, Chicken in Chilli mustard sauce, Stir fried fish with basil and Chicken Gyaza. All these appetizer's go very well with the Sangria and enhance the taste of the drink too. Stir fried fish was a instant hit with everyone along with Chicken Gyaza (dumpling). Chicken in Chilli mustard sauce was a little spicy. From the ala carte menu, I tried the Mahtani chicken which was delicious and is supposed to be their speciality too.

All the appetizers on the Sangria Sundowner menu are chosen by Chef Priyank to enhance the taste of Sangria and also to build an appetite for dinner.

To end my meal, I chose to have Molten volcano with ice cream. The melted chocolate from the Volcano kept oozing with every bite and was extremely tasty. I chose to have it with a little vanilla ice cream so that I do not find it too sweet or chocolaty. 

So its time to head to Shiro for some good food, tasty Sangria with loads of conversations in this beautiful weather of Bangalore. A different experience at Shiro was very good for me and I am looking forward to visit the place again.

Pic credits: Nita and Arjun